Driving is the human activity of choice which most adversely affects creation.
Our Lenten practice in simplicity this week is to drive less, conscious of protecting God’s creation.
We need to reconsider how we get around.
We need clean energy and we need to use it efficiently.
Our Lenten practice this week is to use energy more efficiently.
Energy is necessary to support life. But coal, gas and oil are limited resources.
We need energy to live and our appliances need energy in order to function. But where does energy come from?
Water is essential for life. If life is sacred, then whatever supports life is sacred.
Food is sacramental. Eating is a moral act.
“Give us today our daily bread.”
The daily bread provided by God comes directly from the Earth. The act of eating unites us to the soil, water and animals of this planet like nothing else. All these gifts of God’s creation are included in our food.
Every purchase of food and every act of eating becomes a moral decision. When making food choices we need to consider the manner in which crops were planted and fertilized, the method used to raise animals for eating, and the distance food has to be shipped.
While our agricultural system produces a lot of food, it also has a downside. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides from large agricultural farms contaminate the soil. Animal waste from factory farmed meat defiles the water. Transporting food over long distances pollutes the air. Our food choices are having a huge impact on the whole of creation.
Food is not only central to survival. It is a sacramental gift of God’s grace and providence. Our Lenten fast this week will aim to develop greater sensitivity to how our food choices can honor, rather than exploit, God’s creation.
The challenge of simplicity is to live differently than the standards set by a greedy consumer culture. To begin, try setting purchasing limits that fit with your values, and live within them. Use your buying power to reinforce your faith. Let your shopping decisions make a difference. With each dollar you can select products that are socially and environmentally responsible. Clear the clutter from your home. Develop a sense of moderation and sharing. Discover the joy that comes from contentment, sensing that you have enough. And hold in your heart those people who don’t have enough – enough food, enough water, enough of basic life necessities.
Christian simplicity means setting limits that reflect your faith values by taking only what you need – not wasting or taking in excess. Good stewardship of creation results in a life that is outwardly simple, inwardly rich, and socially just.
Use cloth shopping bags instead of paper and plastic. Paper bags cause millions of trees to be cut. Plastic bags kill thousands of birds and marine animals every year by being eaten or entangled in discarded bags mistaken for food.According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags are distributed in the U.S. each year.
Abstain from over-scheduling your life. Do this by planning ahead to eliminate unnecessary actions. Forgo TV and/or social networking sites at least one day during the week. Read Psalm 104. Sit quietly in gratitude for the gift of life. Consciously connect with God’s natural world at least once during the week.
Try forgoing some “must-have” items. It’s a matter of training the mind to get along with less. Consider impulsive buying habits. When a desire for something arises, wait a couple days to make sure it is not an impulse buy.
It is a program of conversion. It inspires and informs Christian communities on how to use the traditional Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to protect God’s creation, bring forth a just society, and nurture a fulfilling spiritual life. It offers practical opportunities for people of faith to apply the values of Gospel simplicity to their everyday lives. This goal is accomplished by:
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